* The scoring scale: In 1988, the SAT was scored out of 1600, but the scoring *wasn't* the simple sum of the Verbal and Math sections as it is now. Each section (Verbal and Math) was scored out of 800. These scores were then *separately* reported and sometimes the combined score was mentioned, but it wasn't the same as adding the two numbers directly as it is today.
* Section Breakdown: You need to know the individual Verbal and Math scores to understand the performance in each area. The verbal section heavily emphasized vocabulary and reading comprehension then, while the math section was less advanced than it is today.
* Percentile: A much more informative measure than the raw score would have been the percentile rank. This tells you how the score compared to other test takers in that administration. A percentile rank of 80, for instance, would mean the score was better than 80% of the other scores.
In short: You can't simply "read" a 1988 SAT score like you would a modern one. You need to know the *individual Verbal and Math scores* and ideally, the *percentile ranks* to have any meaningful understanding of its value. Without that additional context, a raw number from 1988 is not comparable to a modern SAT score.